Method and apparatus for spraying portions of an air-improving substance

ABSTRACT

In order to avoid spraying individuals located in a restroom from being sprayed with an air-improving substance, it is firstly determined whether individuals are located in the restroom, and the spraying process is initiated only when the movement of individuals is no longer detected.

The invention concerns methods and an apparatus for spraying portions of an air-improving substance in a room, in particular in a washroom.

Countless proposals are already known for improving air in particular in washrooms by spraying a deodorising and/or fragrant substance. They range from spray cans which are fitted to the door and which are actuated when the door is opened or closed (for example GB 411 055 A) to programmable dispensers (for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,297 B) in which spray sequences which take place in accordance with various selectable criteria can be predetermined. Those dispensers have adjusting options for the beginning and the end of the spray sequences, for the duration of the time intervals in respect of the spray procedures, for daytime or night operation and so forth, and are provided with an electrical spray knob actuating means, an electronic (time) control, a voltage supply, an illumination sensor and a device which monitors exhaustion of the fragrance. The number of users and user frequency are in that case only limitedly taken into consideration. They are also detected when washrooms are used without daylight by individual people as switching on the lighting leads to the presumption of a user.

In public washrooms, particularly when there is a high number of users and a fluctuating user frequency, the known apparatuses are unsatisfactory. The spray operations should take place whenever they are necessary, in which respect spray operations should be avoided when users are present in order not to spray the users. A time control cannot establish the presence of one or more users and a brightness control cannot ascertain the number of users.

The invention now proposes utilising the movement of persons present, as a further important criterion for triggering the spraying operations. In a first mode of operation of a fragrance dispenser it is provided that it is established that persons are moving in the room and that the next spray operation is triggered off only when no further movement of persons is detected. This design configuration affords a pure motion signalling control, in which case a spray operation takes place only when no more movement can be detected, that is to say when the user or users has or have left the room.

In a second mode of operation which is based on an interval control, the procedure involves establishing whether persons are moving in the room and the impending spray operation is suppressed if a movement of persons is detected. In this design configuration the motion signalling is superimposed on the time control and the spray operation takes place at the intended moment in time only when no movement can be detected, that is to say no user is present. Preferably in that respect time intervals of between 2.5 and 60 minutes can be set, depending on the respective nature of the room. Particularly when prolonged pauses (for example of 30 minutes) between the spray operations are involved, it is conceivable that no spray operation takes place throughout the entire operating period, as a person is present precisely at each spray time. Therefore, particularly when long time intervals are involved, it is preferably provided that the suppressed spray operation is subsequently implemented when no further movement of persons is detected. In the example specified above, that would increase the interval to 35 minutes, in which case the subsequent spray operations are selectively effected either in the original spray sequence, that is to say the next pause is reduced to 25 minutes, or the entire spray sequence is shifted by a delay of 5 minutes.

Particularly in public washrooms, an ongoing, high frequency can have the result that a rest condition which is required for the spray operation to be triggered does not occur.

Preferably therefore in particular in the first mode of operation, with relatively short time intervals, but also in the second mode of operation, it is provided that, in the case of movement of persons in the room, which continues over a predetermined period of time, a spray operation is triggered off even when a movement of persons in the room is detected. In this third mode of operation the period of time is preferably also adjustable and includes for example between 2.5 and 15 minutes. If, in the first mode of operation, with pure motion signalling control, no rest condition can be ascertained over a predetermined period of time of for example 10 minutes, which indicates a high number of users, the spray operation is effected even with the risk that the users who are present at that time are sprayed. If the intensive use continues over a prolonged period of time, for example the entire morning, then once again a spray sequence takes place at equal time intervals which however, as is also necessary by virtue of the high user frequency, are substantially shorter than in the interval control of the second mode of operation, and this is maintained only as long as that user frequency applies.

An apparatus for spraying portions of an air-improving substance, for example a deodorising substance, a fragrance or the like, which permits both modes of operation, is in accordance with the invention provided with a motion sensor. So that a detected person can leave the room so that the person is not sprayed, a delay is provided between the detection of a movement and signal delivery for triggering a spray operation. The preferably adjustable delay time is between 15 and 30 seconds. The delay can be adjusted at the motion sensor, depending on the respective design configuration involved, so that the motion signalling to the control takes place with a delay or is set by the control means itself. In both cases the presence of a moving person is again detected by the motion sensor and the next delay time begins to run, and so forth. Accordingly the triggering signal for the spray operation is only ever delivered after, and possibly even only after repeated motion detection, and only when the movement is already concluded. If the delay takes place at the motion sensor, the control signal of the motion sensor represents a motion end message.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawing without being limited thereto. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front view of an apparatus according to the invention, and

FIGS. 2 through 4 show functional diagrams of three different modes of operation.

An apparatus for spraying an air-improving substance in a room, in particular in a washroom, has a housing 1 which can be fixed to a wall or the like and in which there is arranged a replaceable container 2 which is provided with a spray head 3 and which contains the air-improving substance. The content of the container is sprayed out by means of an auxiliary means in each spray operation through a window 4 of the housing 1, for example by means of an electrically driven pump device. Batteries or the like (not shown) are contained in the housing 1 as the power source; however a connection to a power mains is also possible.

The housing 1 further includes an electronic control 5 which includes an operating mode selector switch 6, light emitting diodes 7 for state, filling level and operational display, time setting rotary knobs 8 for setting the intervals in the second and third modes of operation, a motion sensor 9 with a delay time Δt for signal delivery, which in particular can be adjusted, and a light-sensitive sensor 11 by way of which it is possible to establish for example day/night operation. Finally there is also provided a test module switch 10, wherein the basic functions of the apparatus can be tested in a first switch position and the basic settings of the control 5, the motion sensor 9, the light-sensitive sensor 11 and so forth can be tested in a second switch position.

The apparatus according to the invention for spraying an air-improving substance can be operated in differing ways adapted to the requirements involved by virtue of the motion sensor 9. A functional diagram of the first operating mode is shown in FIG. 2. Each spray operation S is triggered off exclusively as a consequence of a detected movement BE of a user or another person as soon as that movement is no longer detected. For that purpose a delay time Δt can be set at the motion sensor 9. If the motion sensor 9 which is switched to the active condition again subsequently to the delay time Δt again detects a movement BE, the next delay time Δt begins to run, after which either the notification signal M is transmitted or a movement BE is detected a further time. The delay time Δt is so selected that the user can leave the room and he is in no way sprayed with the air-improving substance.

FIG. 3 shows a second mode of operation in which a time interval is predetermined and spray operations S take place automatically at longer intervals if the motion sensor 9 does not deliver a signal. This means that a spray operation is suppressed if a movement BE is detected by the motion sensor 9 just at the intended spray time. Preferably the suppressed spray operation S is repeated after the end of the movement.

FIG. 4 shows a functional diagram of a third mode of operation which is designed for a very high user frequency. Here, by virtue of a continuously repetitive motion recognition BE over a prolonged period of time there will be no notification signal M for the end of the movement and no spray operation. In that situation the motion signalling control of FIG. 2 is overridden insofar as a spray operation S takes place after a fixed time which can be adjusted by means of the rotary knob 8, although there are people in the room. 

1. A method of spraying portions of an air-improving substance in a room, in particular in a washroom, characterised in that it is detected that persons are moving in the room and that the next spray operation is triggered off only when no more movement of persons is detected.
 2. A method as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the next spray operation is triggered with a delay.
 3. A method of spraying portions of an air-improving substance in a room, in particular in a washroom, in a spray sequence with equal time intervals, characterised in that it is detected whether persons are moving in the room and that the impending spray operation is suppressed if a movement of persons is detected.
 4. A method as set forth in claim 3 characterised in that the suppressed spray operation is repeated if no more movement of persons is detected.
 5. A method as set forth in claim 4 characterised in that the further spray operations are effected at the predetermined time intervals of the spray sequence in relation to the suppressed spray operation.
 6. A method as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that in the case of a movement of persons in the room, which continues over a predetermined period of time, a spray operation is triggered even when a movement of persons is detected.
 7. Apparatus for spraying portions of a preferably fluid, air-improving substance in a room, in particular in a washroom, comprising a container for the air-improving substance and a delivery device actuatable electrically by a control device for intermittently delivering the substance from the container, characterised in that there is provided a motion sensor (9), wherein the delivery device (3) is actuable by way of the control device (5) in dependence on signals from the motion sensor (9).
 8. A method as set forth in claim 4 characterised in that in the case of a movement of persons in the room, which continues over a predetermined period of time, a spray operation is triggered even when a movement of persons is detected. 